FAA Administrator Speaks At Uber Elevate Summit

15 May 2018Wired reported that FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell spoke at Uber’s annual Elevate Summit in Los Angeles, where the ride-sharing company presented its vision of future intra-urban drone transportation networks, or “flying taxis.” Among the “nearly 1,000 attendees” from various organizations and institutions, the FAA was “unlike the other participants, who were all gung-ho about the possibility of launching passenger-stuffed drones off the top of tall buildings.” Instead, the FAA “stressed that compared to smaller drones, the path to regulating human flight is likely to be different, harder, and longer.” Elwell said the agency will focus on safety in regulating the transport of humans via electric VTOL aircraft proposed by Uber. Elwell stated, “You have more commitment, top to bottom,” at the federal agencies “to bring these technologies to viable life than I’ve ever seen.” (Image Credit: NASA/Lillian Gipson)More Info (Wired)